Sanctuary
by Cupe
Summary: AU. She's silent and cold, he's an out of work artist. They may live together, but they know nothing about each other. They aren't in any way close, but when things take a turn for the worse, Deidara realises he has an unexpected ally. DISCONTINUED.
1. A New Beginning

Part 1 - A New Beginning

Author Notes: Okay, here's the first part of my first fic! Constructive criticism only please, no flames! This is dedicated to NarutoxHinataPie, for being an awesome writer and friend. And for letting me use her name (changed to fit Japanese) for my OC . This chapter is rated M for masturbation. It's not very graphic, but I'm going to play it safe. I don't care if you don't like OCs, I do and this is my story, so if you don't like it, don't read! Please Review, I like to know if my work is appreciated Enjoy! - Emmy

Deidara looked up at the small suburban house. The ivy creeping up its side giving it a gothic feel.

"Home sweet home." He muttered under his breath. Having been kicked out of his apartment, he had been forced to find somewhere to live. Having seen the advertisement in an obscure art magazine, he wasn't sure about his potential landlord. He took a deep breath and walked up to the mahogany door, knocking gently on it. He heard creaking as someone descended the stairs a key turned in a lock and the door opened. His one visible eye widened a little as it settled on the slightly shorter girl stood in front of him, her pink eyes appearing to look through him. He suddenly felt very exposed. She seemed to be waiting for him to speak,

"Umm, hi, I'm Deidara...I saw your ad in...um.." He cursed himself mentally. Forgetting where he saw the advert? Way to look like an idiot in front of your potential landlady. To his surprise, she just nodded,

"Alright. Come in." While this should have been a welcoming statement, it sounded more like a 'get the hell away from here'. He swallowed and walked into the house. It felt as though he'd stepped into a cold spot. The interior was a lot bigger than he had expected and although the place had the feeling of an old, disused shack, it was spotless. No dust, no cobwebs. The door closed behind him,

"My name is Keli. Don't piss me off, and you'll be fine." Her eyes locked with his, as if daring him to try it. He swallowed again and nodded,

"Got it." She jerked her head, signaling him to follow her. She walked down the short corridor, stopping at a door. She pushed it open revealing a small room occupied by a dark blue sofa, two dark blue arm chairs, a book case and a television,

"Living room." Leaving the door open, she continued down the corridor,

"Kitchen. Do your own shopping, although anything in the fridge and cupboards is game, unless clearly marked." Deidara nodded again, following her into the kitchen and out of the back door,

"Shitty little garden." He chuckled in agreement, the 'garden' was small sqaure of paving slabs surrounded by a high fence. They went back inside where Keli led him up a flight of stairs,

"My room. Off limits at all times. If you need anything just knock." She said, pointing to a dark green door, "Respect my privacy and I'll respect yours."

"Okay." She opened another dark green door, revealing a rather spacious room. The walls were painted a light aquamarine,

"This is your room, do what you want with it. If you need any paint, extra furniture ecetera, you'll have to deal with that yourself." He glanced around the room, a double bed, a pine desk, book case, chest of drawers and a nightstand. He highly doubted he'd need anything else. She turned towards the last door,

"Bathroom. Use your own towels and no hair in the plugs, got it?"

"Clean up after myself, don't disturb you, anything else I should know?" Deidara asked, turning to face Keli. She shrugged,

"Not that I can think of." He nodded,

"Okay...Um, I'll be moving in tomorrow then...?" He wasn't sure why he was so damn nervous around her, she was just some girl. Just some really scary albino girl...

"Fine." He swallowed and followed her back to the front door,

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then Keli." He smiled softly. She didn't return the smile, just nodded and closed the door. Deidara ran a hand through his hair,

"This is going to be hell..." He muttered under his breath as he walked down the garden path back onto the street. He took another look at the house, it looked so innocent from outside. Unlike the woman who lived inside.

"Whew!" Deidara wiped the sweat from his forehead, frowning when he realised that his blonde fringe was sticking to his face. He tucked the hair behind his ear, a futile attempt; it flopped back into his face almost instantly. He sighed, giving up trying to tame his yellow mane. He glanced around his room, it was shocking how many boxes there were. Although they were pretty small as far as boxes went. And they were heavy. All those art supplies were a pain, especially the copious amounts of clay in his possession. He'd caught Keli on her way out. She'd simply handed him his set of keys and left without so much as a hello,

"She seems a right bitch." Itachi commented. Deidara rolled his eyes at his friend,

"Shut up yeah!" He snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the closed door, as if expecting her to come in and eat him.

"She's not here Deidara. You can bitch all you want about her." He groaned,

"Itachi, I've only just met her yeah, she's probably fine."

"Pfft! She looks like a female version of Hidan, and you know what a dick he is." Deidara couldn't help chuckling. He could imagine Keli swearing every 2 seconds and banging on about that cult Hidan loved so much...He shook that thought from his head. Keli was not Hidan. Even if both of them were albino and similarly antisocial, they were different people altogether. Or so he hoped. A female version of Hidan would be hell.

"Will you just help me unpack yeah, like you said you would?" He asked, turning to face the darked haired man, his blue eyes meeting Itachi's black ones,

"Alright Blondie. Which ones need to be opened first?" Deidara threw a pillow at Itachi for the nickname then handed him a craft knife,

"All the ones marked 'Important Shit'." He replied, slicing apart the tape on the closest box with the words 'Deidara's Important Shit' scrawled on the side in black marker pen,

"Deidara, they're all marked 'Important shit' you idiot." Itachi half growled, getting a little frustrated with his friend's apparent lack of common sense and organisation,

"Well, open them then yeah!" The blonde returned, pulling a stack of art related books out of the box and placing them in the bookcase,

"Look, I want to get this done soon yeah. I promised Sakura I'd take her out tonight yeah."

"You hair is fine, Jesus Christ..."

"It's not my hair I'm worried about-"

"For once." Deidara turned and glared at Itachi,

"Don't make me throw one of these at you yeah." He threatened, holding up a heavy art anthology. Itachi chuckled, shaking his head and pushing a box of clothes towards to Deidara.

It took them nearly 5 hours to unpack all the boxes, store all the contents so that Deidara wouldn't fall over it (more than he already would anyway) and dump the boxes in the closet, just in case. Deidara sat back against the wall of his room, eyes closed, grinning like a maniac,

"Finally, I'm finished!"

"You mean we're finished." Itachi cut in. He hadn't known that unpacking was going to be such hard work. Made all the harder by Deidara's love of 'organised chaos'

"I'm an artist, yeah, what do you expect?" He had said when Itachi had nearly lost it and beaten the blonde silly with the nearest blunt object,

"It wouldn't have killed you to have boxed your shit in some kind of order." Deidara opened his one visible eyes and waved his hand at Itachi,

"Yeah yeah. Well, it was all coming out anyway, so there was no point yeah." Itachi rolled his eyes,

"I am never helping you move, ever again." He vowed, fixing Deidara with a cold stare. The latter pouted,

"Aww, you're no fun Itachi yeah!" Itachi could have hit him, but instead. he pushed himself to his feet,

"I'm off. Tell Sakura I said hi." He said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. Deidara sighed as he heard the front door close. He checked his watch, 3pm. He fished around in his pocket for his mobile phone. He dialed his girlfriend's number and pressed the device against his ear, listening to the annoying dial tone,

"Hey Dei-kun!"

"Hello Sakura-chan. Me and Itachi finally finished. I'll come by around 5, okay?"

"Sure thing! See you then!" She hung up and he replaced his phone in his pocket and stood up,

"Better pretty myself up yeah." He muttered to himself. He pulled tout the red band, his hair falling around his shoulders, making him look even more gorgeous. He picked up his toiletries, grabbed a towel and a clean set of clothes before heading to the bathroom for a much needed shower. He glanced at his reflection in the full length mirror in the cream bathroom and frowned,

"Man, I look like shit. And I need to lose weight." He pouted at the mirror, pinching a tiny amount of skin at his waist. He shook his head, sighing again, before stepping into the shower and turning the water on, groaning as the hot water sprayed onto his naked body. He was glad the house was empty, as the small grunts of pleasure he was emitting as his body relaxed would probably freak the hell out of his housemate. He smiled softly as his thoughts drifted to Sakura. Damn she was hot. Although they'd been together nearly 3 years, she still amazed him with her every move. She was so graceful and so perfect. Her body was a temple that he worshipped every time they were together. Her soft, pert breasts, her smooth legs, those sweet noises she made when he nibbled her neck. He chuckled as his body began to react to his thoughts.'Keli didn't say anything about masturbation, and as long as I don't leave any mess, she won't care.' He mused before beginning that common teenage practice. Him and Sakura had never had sexual intercourse. She wanted to wait until she was ready and he was prepared to wait, so strong was his love for her. Even though most of his friends told him she was being a total prude and that he really needed to get laid soon, he didn't care. He loved her so much and wanted his first time to be with her. And he was sure she felt the same. He kept very quiet during the whole process, just in case Kelly had returned and was being silent as seemed to be her nature. He placed his unoccupied palm against the tiled wall for support, his short breaths turning into ragged pants as he brought himself over the edge, moaning Sakura's name softly. He stayed in that position for some time, letting the water wash away all traces of his actions as he caught his breath. He straightened up and proceeded to continue his shower in the way it was meant for: cleaning. He massaged his favourite shampoo into his hair, reveling in the familiar subtle scent of cinnamon. He couldn't care less that his friends made fun of him, he liked female shower products. They were better quality and smelled better. Still, at least he didn't use girly perfume, that would have given him more queer points than he cared to have. Sometimes, he wished he could have Itachi's utter lack of consideration for his appearance, but then, he did enjoy making himself look good. Well, better than the shit he normally looked. Deidara grimaced as he pulled a particularly stubborn knot out of his hair,

"Note to self, stop sleeping with hair still tied up." He mumbled, hoping that saying it out loud would help him remember, but knowing full well it wouldn't. He was young and hopeless, could you blame him? He wanted to have fun and get the best out of life before he got old and died. He wrinkled his nose, getting old wasn't something he particularly wanted to do. He wanted to go out with a bang, not literally of course. Just become one with his art or something. He sighed, he was never going to think of the perfect death. Well, not while he was enjoying life so much anyway.

(A/N) Ah, wouldn't we all love to watch Deidara masturbate in the shower? Hehehe...Part 2 coming soon!

Oh, just for clarification,

Sofa Couch

Mobile/Mobile Phone Cellphone


	2. Blood, Curses and Nightmares

i Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, there would be many changes made. I do however, own Keli and this computer. /i 

Keli walked into the cold, dark house at around 1am. She closed the door behind her and stood still, listening. Silence. Evidently, Deidara was still out with his girlfriend. She shook her head a little,

"Stupid boy. Letting his emotions run free like that." She ascended the creaky stairs, her thoughts still Deidara centered. Her new housemate interested her a little. Not in a crush sort of way, in the same way that everyone that dared to set foot in the small house did. His life was so different to hers, he had a care free attitude and was perfectly happy with where he was, so very different to her own outlook of life. And yet, they would ultimately meet the same fate. They would both die. She brushed several strands of platinum blonde hair out of her face, resting her forehead in her palm for a moment,

"Such a shame, he's so young too. Ah well, such is life." She muttered to nobody in particular, unlocking her door and entering her room. Locking it behind her. She sat down on her bed, glancing at the photo frame on her night stand as she did every day. The picture had been taken a decade previously. A younger version of Keli stood in front of her parents, next to her brother. She sighed, the pink eyes of her and her brother staring straight back at her,

"I still don't know why things turned out as they did. But I will find out soon." She vowed, laying on her back on the bed, closing her eyes, letting sleep take her.

i he room was lit by several black and white candles situated on the 'altar' in the centre of the room. A radius of roughly five feet separated the covered table and the mass of cloaked figures in the room. Their black clothing rustled as they parted to allow three figures step up to the altar. Two dressed in black, the third in pure white. The two figures drew back their hoods, revealing white masks marked with two red dashes across each 'check' that contrasted with the black of their robes. The congregation copied the act until the only hooded figure left was the one dressed in white. The masks of the others were plain white. The two marked masks lifted their hands. The two were known only as Kurai and Hikari. Darkness and Light. The two most prominent members. The others began chanting, a low sound that seemed to fill the room, blocking out everything else. Hikari strode forward and drew back the hood of the white figure revealing a pale woman. She held her head high and turned to face the mass,

"I gladly give my life to aid our cause." She stated simply before putting on a mask of her own, this one with black markings. A cheer rose as the chanting stopped. As Kuro raised a hooked dagger a small figure ran into the room,

"Stop! No! Don't do it!" A figure grabbed the child as she struggled in his grasp, clawing at his white mask,

"Nii-chan, don't look" He whispered, but she couldn't help it, her pink eyes filling with tears as the knife was plunged into her mother's throat. The crimson staining the white robe. The chanting began again, louder this time, accompanied by cheers from various figures. The images began to go fuzzy around the edges, clouding until everything, the figures, the masks, the altar, the blood, merged into each other and faded to black. /i 

Keli sat up as the front door closed. She wiped a hand across her forehead and cursed,

"Bastards." She growled softly, rubbing her eyes a little as the stairs creaked and footsteps sounded on the landing. She looked at the door, and heard Deidara pause. She shared a tiny smile with herself, had he heard? Or was he just curious as to whether she was back or not? She frowned a little and led back down, he was the curious type. And if he pried too far, she would have to put him off. Which wouldn't be easy, this guy had friends, and they would act if she hurt him. The last thing she needed was an arrest. Or worse, draw attention to herself. Not now, not when she was so close to finding her answers. The answers she'd wanted for so long, it was nearly a decade now. Revenge was so very sweet, but she knew that would have to wait until much later. Once she found her targets, she needed the perfect ways; she needed her vengeance to be carried out quickly and quietly so nobody could trace it back to her. But for now, she just wanted to know. Know what she should have known then. Keli wasn't sure she cared if the truth hurt more than the lies she'd been fed, ignorance is bliss, but not always.

The next morning, Deidara was woken up by the sound of his mobile phone ringing. With a groan, he reached out of bed and fumbled around on the night stand for the offending object. He hit 'answer' and pressed the phone against his ear,

"Hello?" He croaked, lying back against the pillows, opening his eyes a little,

"Oi, get out of bed fuck face." Deidara groaned again, louder this time,

"Hidan, what the hell do you want yeah, it's too early, I'm tired, yeah." He whined. He heard his friend curse and smiled a little, the older man was probably thinking up ways to throttle him now,

"Deidara, it's fucking 10am! Get your pansy arse out of bed and get down here now! I'm doing you a fucking favour dick wad." The blond winced and pulled the phone away from his ear to avoid deafness,

"Hidan, calm down yeah. Urgh, I was out until like 2am last night with Sakura-"

"Stop thinking with your dick! There are things more important than fucking some bird with big tits you know."

"Sakura is not some bird with big tits yeah, and we haven't fucked yet."

"What!? What are you fucking thinking!? Three years and you haven't done her? Jesus Christ..."

"I thought saying the lord's name was against your religion yeah?"

"Saying Jashin's name in vain is blasphemy, I can say what I like about other lesser deities." Deidara rolled his eyes,

"It's all the same thing yeah-"

"Don't insult Jashin you hell-bound son of a bitch!" Hidan exploded, Deidara chuckled,

"What is this favour you mentioned yeah?"

"I got you a job interview dick head." The blonde nearly fell out of bed,

"What!? Where?" He asked, his trademark 'yeah' dropped from his flabbergasted reply. He heard Hidan's dark chuckle,

"Ann Summers."

"You have got to be kidding me yeah...Hidan you bastard!"

"Hey! You need to find your dick, knob jockey and besides, you look like a girl so nobody will question it."

"Hidan, I hate you so much right now yeah..."

"Wait until you see the uniform!" He heard another voice laughing now,

"Who's with you yeah?"

"Itachi and Sasori, now get out of bed, we're coming over." With that, Hidan hung up, leaving Deidara staring at the phone in horror. A job would be great, just not at a freaking sex shop! He pulled himself out of bed, he figured that he might as well punch Hidan if he was coming round. He grabbed a fish net shirt and pulled it on over the black tank top he was already wearing, grabbing his deodorant as he went. He crossed the room, grabbing his dark gray jeans from the opposite corner of the room where he'd discarded them several hours earlier before he had crawled into bed to dream of sweet Sakura...

"Stop thinking that now yeah!" He scolded himself. Deidara grabbed a hair brush and pulled out the red hair tie, wincing as it dragged several strands of honey coloured hair with it,

"Must stop sleeping with hair tied up yeah." he muttered to himself for the second time in two days as he forced his tangled hair into a straight, tamed mane before tying it up again. He left his room and entered the bathroom, glancing over at Keli's closed bedroom door. He could have sworn he'd heard her tossing and turning the night before, a nightmare? He shook his head, closing the door behind him and grabbing his tooth brush. Whatever had happened to her in the past was none of his business unless she wanted to make it his buisness and he highly doubted that she would open up to him. She had made it pretty clear on their first meeting that she didn't want to be friends or even be sociable and she could suit herself as far as Deidara was concerned. He wasn't really concerned anyway. All he was doing was sharing a house with her. Sakura had been a little pissed. He winced a little, remembering his girlfriend's reaction.

_ i "So, you've got a new place?" She asked, looking up from the cocktail she was absently stirring, her green eyes meeting his pale blue ones. He nodded. _

_"Yeah. This place just off the Broad Way. Place looks like something out of Dracula on the outside yeah!" He replied, chuckling,_

_"How many people live there?" _

_"Just the two of us. This Keli girl owns it and-"_

_"How old is she?" Sakura suddenly interrupted, her jade eyes narrowing,_

_"Umm, maybe a little older than me yeah? I dunno. Don't worry sweetie, she's anti social as hell. Gave off the impression that she really didn't want me there yeah."_

_"Then why did you take it?" Her eyes were still angry, accusing,_

_"Because it's cheap and I need a place to live yeah. Besides, from what I've seen so far she keeps to herself, and I plan to do the same, yeah?" He looked into her eyes, his own pleading a little,_

_"Alright, fine." She replied with a soft smile, her features going back into their rightful, tranquil places. Deidara let out a relieved sigh. /i _

He felt a little angry that she didn't trust him after 3 years. And he'd known Keli for what, 2 days? That was besides the point though, she was the last person on his list. He'd rather be with Hidan. He screwed his eyes shut at he nasty mental images,

"Ew." He glanced at his reflection as he replaced his toothbrush in the pot by the sink.

"Could be worse I suppose yeah." He muttered, rubbing at the eyeliner smudges that emphasied the bags under his eyes. He returned to his room and pulled on a black jacket before heading downstairs. He flexed his fingers as he took a seat on the sofa. Hidan had it in for him when he got here.

i A/N: Chapters will start getting longer in the future! Ciao for now! 3

- Emmy /i 


	3. First Steps

Part 3 - First Steps

A knock on the door made Deidara jump out of his quiet reverie on the sofa. He stood up and made his way to the front door, to see that Keli had already beaten him to it. Strange, he hadn't heard her come down the stairs, or open the door. He grimaced inwardly to see what could have easily been Keli's twin and a shorter boy with dark red hair stood behind him. Hidan and Sasori. He prayed silently to every deity he knew the name of that Hidan wouldn't be an arsehole to Keli,

"Can I help you?" Keli asked, her pink eyes narrowing slightly at the similarities between her and Hidan. Deidara could see his friend gearing up for a snide come back at the coldness in her voice when Sasori saved them both by stepping forward,

"Is Deidara in by any chance?" He asked quietly, his hazel eyes meeting Keli's. Damn, if he could make eye contact with her, he had bigger balls than Deidara had ever imagined. Even _Keli _seemed taken aback by the short boy's courage, but it didn't show much. She nodded and glanced in Deidara's direction, as if she'd known he was there the entire time,

"Yes." She replied simply, shooting Deidara a "Keep it down or else" glare before ascending the creaky stairs and disappearing out of sight. Deidara let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and turn to his friends who were hovering a little on the threshold, as if worried the house would swallow them,

"Hidan, I am going to_kill _you yeah." He hissed, walking over and closing the door behind them and leading them upstairs to his room.

Once the dark green door was firmly closed, Deidara properly rounded on the tall albino,

"Why the_ fuck_ did you get me a job at _Ann Summers _you wanker!?" He growled, keeping the pitch of his voice in check, not wanting to awaken Keli's most likely fearsome wrath. Hidan just smirked,

"Because I have a fucking _contact_ there, and you've been bitching about being out of work so I figured I'd do you a fucking _favour_. You're always bitching about how I do fuck all for you as well. So I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. And if this is how you're going to repay me for my fucking thoughtfulness, I won't fucking bother in future, ungrateful _bitch_." Hidan's smirk had slowly morphed into a scowl as he ranted none too quietly at the blond,

"Keep it the fuck down yeah!" Deidara snapped, shooting a slightly worried glance at the door, "And I am not being ungrateful, or a bitch yeah. Yes, I need a job. Just not one at a fucking _sex shop_!" It was becoming increasingly hard to keep his own voice down as he got more and more worked up. He took a deep breath and counted to ten while awaiting Hidan's retort,

"_Deidara_, I am your friend, and this is the only place that had a fucking vacancy, so stop fucking _whining_ and get something presentable for Monday." Deidara raised an eyebrow,

"Monday? What's happening on Monday, yeah?" Sasori groaned softly, Deidara took this as a bad omen, A very bad omen. Hidan apparently thought the total opposite as he grinned widely,

"That's when your mother fucking interview is!" He announced, still beaming. Deidara's mouth dropped open, a horrified look contorting his face. Sasori put his hands over his ears, bracing himself,

"WHAT!?" Completely forgetting his 'keep it down' rule, Deidara screeched the word at the silver haired man, his blue eyes narrowing dangerously. Hidan was unphased by the blond's reaction and shrugged,

"What? It's only fucking _Friday_. You've got two days to prepare. Two whole Jashin blessed days. Or do you need longer to pretty up your pansy arse?" Deidara was twitching slightly in anger now,

"You fucking bastard." His voice dropped back to the low tone he used when he was incredibly angry but was trying to remain clam, "There is no fucking way I am_ going_ yeah." Sasori moved over to sit on Deidara's unmade bed, sighing softly, he regretted coming. The two of them could fight for hours. And normally, it would escalate to violence and Hidan would win, then Sasori would have to listen to Deidara bitch about how much pain he was in while the red head begrudgingly patched him up,

"Deidara, you are fucking going if I have to _drag_ your bimbo arse there. Got it? I did not go to all that fucking trouble-"

"_TROUBLE_!? I bet you just_ asked_ your fucking friend and he said yes, as if you_ actually_ put yourself out for 'a gay blond idiot' yeah." Deidara growled, his hands balling into fists. Oh yes, there was going to be violence. Hidan had clearly had enough of Deidara's attitude towards his 'good deed' and took action by grabbing the blond by the front of his shirt and slamming him against the wall. Deidara grunted in pain as his head connected with the hard surface, his eyes closing briefly. When they reopened, Hidan was mere centimetres from his face. Deidara gulped, had he gone too far this time?

"Deidara, for fuck's sake. I'm your friend, I want to help you out, but Christ, can't you just accept a favour with a little more grace?" Hidan sighed and Deidara guessed that, had it not endangered his masculinity, Hidan would have probably pressed his forehead against the blond's. Sasori chose this moment to step in, before things got ugly again,

"Umm guys? Didn't we sort of agree we _wouldn't_ disturb Deidara's house mate?" Both heads turned to face the red head. Sasori almost regretted speaking until the anger faded from both their gazes and Hidan let go of Deidara's shirt. The shortest of the three watched as Hidan and Deidara looked at each other uncertainly, neither sure what to say to smooth over the now past animosity. The blond was the first to speak,

"Well...umm, I guess I'll go to that interview, yeah." He said sheepishly, looking at the floor. Hidan gave a short nod,

"You're a fucking idiot Deidara, but we love you." He said softly, grinning. Deidara raised his head to meet Hidan's pink eyes and smiled back,

"Thanks Hidan. You too Sasori." He said, turning to the red head who smiled softly,

"No problem guys, if I wasn't here, you two would've torn each other apart by now." He returned, "Now, why don't we take Deidara shopping for this interview eh?" Deidara gaped, opening his mouth to protest when Hidan started jumping up and down. The room's other occupants turned to stare at him with disbelieving eyes. Sasori and Deidara shared a look that said that yes, this behaviour proved once and for all that the silver haired man most defiantly was on drugs,

"We _so_ have to get him a fucking French maid outfit!" Hidan exclaimed, taking a break from his Dylan(1) on speed impression, "You'd get the job for sure if you turned up in that kind of get-up!" Deidara looked horrified, even Sasori went a little green around the edges as he gave Hidan a reproving look,

"Umm Hidan? I don't somehow think we're ever going to get Deidara into a slutty French maid outfit, unless he's very, very drunk and out of his mind." Deidara nodded enthusiastically at Sasori's words,

"Yeah! Exactly!" Hidan laughed, a sound that sounded truly demonic. If there was a sound one could associate with the apocalypse, Hidan's laughter was it. Sasori cringed and Deidara shuddered. Both shared the same thoughts: 'Oh fuck.'.

--

The room was bare save for a large mahogany desk in the centre, behind the desk, was a regal, black cushioned armchair. Situated in said chair was a white robed figure. A knock came at the door,

"Enter." Said a cold voice. The door opened without a sound and a black cloaked figure entered, closing the door behind them. The figure bowed before moving to stand before the desk,

"Hikari-sama, we have had reports of a girl matching the traitor's description." The one named Hikari narrowed his eyes behind his mask, although through the mask's dark, blank eyes holes, the action wasn't noticed,

"What of her brother?" The black robed figure cringed a little,

"No word Hikari-sama. We are investigating all rumors thoroughly though." Hikari nodded,

"Very well." There was a pause,

"What action should we take Sir?" Hikari's smirk matched that of his mask,

"Just watch her for now, make sure she is the one this time. We've alerted some unsavory forces in the past by making mistakes, I want to be sure this time." The figure nodded,

"Yes Hikari-sama. And once we've confirmed it?"

"I want her brought to me. Her and anybody who has associated with her. I also want you to destroy all evidence that she ever lived. Photographs, school records, birth certificates; the lot. _Understood_?" The last word was laced with enough cold to freeze all of hell and the figure straightened unconsciously, trembling slightly,

"Yes Sir!"

"You may go." The figure bowed again and quickly left the door, the door closed with a small 'click' behind him. Hikari laced his fingers together on the desk and laughed. His manic laughter filled the room and echoed into the almost deserted halls of the underground lair. Everyone in earshot shuddered. When Hikari laughed, somebody was going to die. And as he laughed, Hikari saw the end of his reign coming soon with the death of this young girl.

"The end of a traitorous legacy. This shall be a victory for the ages." He mused quietly to himself when the laughter had subsided, then promptly called a messenger to alert Kurai, they were going to need to recruit more members. They had lost a great amount to a recent turf war of sorts with a rival organisation. They had risen victorious, but their numbers were dwindling. If they had to recruit by force, they would. It was nothing they hadn't done before. With a few more sacrifices, a few more years, maybe even months, their ultimate goal could be achieved.

--

Deidara closed the door after Hidan and Sasori and rested his forehead against the cool wood. Hidan had promised to return on Sunday with 'suitable' attire for his upcoming interview and Sasori had quietly said he'd try to keep the Jasinist under control until then. Deidara's head was reeling, on one hand, he could land a much needed job, on the other, he could end up humiliated and

unemployed. Again. He sighed and turned to make his way back upstairs to his haven but blocking the way of the previously empty stairwell was Keli. Deidara jumped, just catching the yelp of fright before it left his lips,

"Hi Keli...I didn't hear you come downstairs..." He said quickly, rubbing the back of his head and forcing a smile. She glared at him,

"You have raucous friends." She said simply, her pink eyes seeming to scrutinise every inch of him, as always,

"Heh, yeah, sorry about that..."

"Whatever. Just keep it down next time." She turned to go back upstairs, then stopped and looked back at him, "Oh, and you won't get through life with fake smiles and apologies." Deidara opened his mouth to ask her what she meant by that, but she silenced it by walking silently up the stairs, effectively ending the 'conversation' (if that's what it could be called). Deidara stared after her, settling for the top step when she had disappeared back into her room, 'What did she mean yeah?' he wondered to himself, 'Since when was she so philosophical?' He shook his head and made his way to his room, not quite as noiselessly as Keli, he noticed. He flopped onto his bed, eyes pointed at the ceiling, but not focusing on the slightly fading paint-work, his mind still attempting to process the day's events. It was going to be a long weekend. That much was for certain.

_A/N - See? The plot is coming into focus a little now! Things will start happening properly soon. This chapter is called First Steps for a reason, it's the first few steps into the main plot line .Please review! I read and reply to every review I get as they are much appreciated! And who knows, maybe I'll add in any suggestions for this/other stories!_

_(1) Dylan is a character from the Magic Roundabout. A constantly stoned looking rabbit named after music legend Bob Dylan. I am of course, referring to the original Magic Roundabout, not the crappy remake. Why must people ruin all things sacred for the sake of money!?_


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